Sandal-strap-shaping machine.



I M. BROCK.

SANDAL STRAP SHAPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3,1913.

1,188,618. Patented Jun 27, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.MATTHIAS BROOK, or nosrou, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T UNITED snon MACHIN- ERY COMPANY, or PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION or new JERSEY.

SAINDAL-STRAP-SHAPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 27, 1916.-

Application filed October 8, 1913. Serial No. 794,143.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTI-IIAS BROOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Sandal-Strap-Shaping Machines, of which the following description,

in connection with the accompanying drawlngs, 1s a specification, like reference char- 13 acters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This lnventlon relates to machines for use in the manufacture of shoes and more par-- ticularly to machines adapted to position,

15 with or without actual stretching, and to secure certain parts of a shoe as for example the fastening straps of the upper of the types of shoes commonly called ankle ties and .sandals.

While features of this invention are of general utility, an understanding of its particular nature will be most readily gained,

by explaining that it has been made for the purpose of reducing the labor cost and 23. facilitating the manufacture of shoes in ac-' cordance with the disclosure in United States Letters Patent No. 1,142,155 granted June 8, 1915 on application to Karl Engel. In accordance with that invention fastening 3o straps are died out integral with the Vamps and an economy of upper leather is obtained by cutting the fastening straps from the throat of the vamp in such a way that additional length of fastening strap is gained from a given area of upper stock,

but at the expense of the normal position of the straps. It is necessary after the shoe is assembled on its last, which in the Engel system is after the vamp and the innersole 40 have been stitched together around the edge of the innersole, to reshape the fastening strap or straps by bending into required relation to the vamp and rendering this relation permanent. This is done in practice by. '45 stretching and bending the strap while the leather is in temper and then fastening it in its new position until it dries and sets. 1 This procedure has the additional advantage that the narrow fastening strap can be extended lengthwise to a substantial degree beyond its original length and thus made long enough to reach across the ankle without the piecing which has heretofore been customary. Heretofore this treatment to reshape, lengthen and fasten the ankle straps was performed by hand and required considerable strength and time upon which a saving is effected by this present invention.

One object of this invention, therefore, is

to provide a machine thatwill facilitate this treatment of the shoe and perform the work better, at smaller labor cost, and with greater uniformity than results from hand manipulation.

- With these ends particularly in view, a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an apparatus having means for seizing the ankle strap and holding it while the shoe with'the last in it is manipulated to reshape the strap by stretching the strap in the direction of its length to the desired final dimension and at the same time pulling it in the direction to position it correctly on the last, in combination with means for thereafterinserting a fastening to secure the reshaped and positioned strap to the last to permit it to set or acquire permanently the' desired shape and position in the finished shoe. The seizing means is advantageously constructed to be movable with the shoe having the strap under tension to present the work to the inserting means. The machine is so constructed and organized as to permit the shoe to be turned to the'right or the left in the directions required for positioning the straps relatively to the vamp and the last and securing them on the opposite side of the last.

The several features of the invention including certain details of construction and organization and combination of parts will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and then pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a left hand side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the machine. Fig. 2 shows a shoe after being subjected to the action of this machine. Fig. 3 illustrates a vampblank before being operated upon.

The illustrated preferred embodiment of this invention combines a Well known type of tacking machine comprising a column 2 which supports a head 3 in which a-cam shaft 4 has bearings and on which runs a loose pulley 5. ln'the right hand side of the pulley 5 is a friction clutch face which cooperates with a clutch member 6 fast on the shaft 1 as isalso a cam 8. A spring 9 acts on a lever 12 to pull the loose member 5 toward the fast member 6, said lever being guided by a slide 13 and having a latch block let by which it is engaged by a. plate 17 on the rear end of a pivoted bar 15 that is carried on a lever 16 which has a, roll in engagement with the cam 8. The cam acts through the lever 16 and, bar 15 to swing the lever 12 toward the left to open the clutch. For closing the clutch a. latch 18- the upper end of which engages the arm 15 is connected through. pivoted. armv 19s to. a trip nozzle 20 so that upward displacement of the nozzle by work presented to it will. pull.

down the bar 15 and free the lever 12 from the plate 17, after whiclrthe shaft makes one revolution during which the bar is withdrawn toward. the right from under the block and then lifted. by the spring 21 and.

thrust toward the left again by the bar 15, the plate 117 engaging-the block 14. and reopening the clutch; Further backward movement of the lever 12 operates to bring a brake member 22' carried by the lever 12 into engagement with a cooperating brake member on the shaft to stop the machine. Of course no claim. is made to the machine as thus far described except asthe fastening inserting mechanism in combinations in which any other suitableconstruction of fastening inserting mechanism would. be an equivalent element.

Secured to the column 2- of the machine by the bolts. 2 L is a forwardly extending bracket 26 upon which. is fulcrumed at 28 an L-shaped lever 30. The front end 31 of: this lever forms the upper clamping jaw of the grippera-nd is providedwith an eye to permit the fastening to be driven therethrough. The downwardly extending portion of this lever is: connected to the bracket 26- by' a spring which tends to hold. the jaw portion of the lever downwardly away from the tack nozzle 20; A second. lever also fulcrumedi intermediate its ends at 28 has its front end 36- extending below the jaw portion 31' of the lever- 30 thus pro-- viding a: cooperating jaw or gripper mem ber. The front endi 36 0f the lever 35 is comparativelythin and forked. to allow the tackmto be driven therethrough and the inside face is preferably toothed to assist the gripper infrictionally holding the upper.

The bracket provides afulcrum on. which. to bear the, last to stretch the strap into its:

correct position. The rear end of the lever is connected: by a rod 37. to a treadle 39 and? a spring 38 attached. to the machine frame and the treadle acts to hold. the

treadle normally in raised position and thereby depress the forward end 36 of. the lever 35 and keepthe jaws of the gripper open.

When the shoe has been applied to the last the ankle strap 40. occupies a position. close to the upperedge of the vamp and.

nearly parallel therewith substantially like that shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings and is considerably shorter than the lengthrequired to extend across the ankle or instep portion of the last or to the opposite side of the last. As provided for by this invention the end of the ankle strap is seized between the jaws 31 and 36 by the depres sion. of the treadle-39 against the resistance of the spring 38. The workman then manipulates the shoe with the last thereon using thebracket 26 as a fulcrum to stretch the anklestrapin the direction of its length and at the same time bend. and work the strap toueshape it and locate it in its cor-- rect relation. to. the last. Having stretched and reshaped: the strap by the aid of thc grippers which: are particularly adapted to permit the last to be turned. and twisted, the operator. further depresses the treadle to overcome the spring 32 and. carry the shoe up against the tripping nozzle 20- and: cause a tack tolbe inserted; through the strap and intoithelast as shown in Fig. 2. The tack may maintain. the strap. 40 taut until the last is withdrawn. from. the shoe during which time the strap set-s or acquires permanentlythc shape girven. to. it in the described operation. It will be noted that the pull on the strapAO is in the direction. to draw the counter portion. of the shoe snugly about the heel: portion. of the last and. particularly to the sides of the heel of the last. This is of considerable advantage in obtaining a. proper fitting of an ankle tie or sandal;

upon the wearers foot.

Having. explained the nature ofv this invention and. described a. preferred. embodiment' thereof and one of the purposes for which the invention may beusedvI desire tosecure protection. for all the novelty disclosed in: this application and intcndi that the following claims shall be construed to. give effect tothat purpose.

l-=. A machine of the class described; having, in combination, means toseize the shoe securing strap of a shoe upper and; hold it while said strap is stretched. in the direction of itslengt-h. and. at the same time positioned correctly relatively to the last, said machine being constructedv and; arranged; to present space below and around said seizing means. to: allow such movement of the shoe,. Said holding means comprising pivoted' upper. and lower jaws, manually operated; means. connected; with the lower jaw to. raise saidi jawto gripthe strapagainst the upper jaw andhold' it during relative movement of the jaws and-shoe, means tohold: the upper jaw from risingwhile the strap is being gripped and pulled; and: a fastening mechanism, saidmanually operated: means being'arrangedi to overcomethe means which hold the: upper jaw down and: raise both jawsv and the shoe tothe fastening mechanism.

2. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, means to seize an ankle strap and hold it while the shoe with the last thereon is manipulated to reshape the strap by stretching it in the direction of its length to the desired final dimension and at the same time pull it in the direction to position it correctly on the last, said machine being so constructed and organized as to permit the shoe to be turned in the directions and to the extent required, fastening inserting means, said strap holding means being recessed to allow a tack to be driven therethrough and through a buttonhole in the strap and being arranged relatively to the inserting means for the tack to be so driven, and manually operated means connected with said seizing means and arranged to effect an operation of said inserting means to insert a fastening to-secure the free end portion of the reshaped strap to the side of the last to permit it to acquire permanently the desired position in the finished shoe.

3. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, means to seize the shoe securing strap of a shoe upper and hold it while said strap is stretched in the direction of its length and at the same time reshaped and positioned correctly relatively to the last, said means comprising a pivoted upper jaw, a spring to hold said jaw down, a pivoted lower jaw which is comparatively thin to permit the strap to be drawn down to the last, a spring to hold said lower jaw down, and a treadle mechanism connection to rock said lower jaw to grip the strap, said first mentioned spring being arranged to be overcome by additional pressure of the treadle mechanism to raise the jaws and the shoe, and a tacker to which the work is presented during continued movement of the treadle.

4. A shoe stretching and tacking machine having, in combination, a tacker provided with a tripping nozzle responsive to pressure of the work against it to cause a tack to be driven, an angle lever pivoted below the nozzle and back of it and having a forwardly directed arm the end of which is formed as a gripper jaw located under the nozzle, means maintaining said jaw normally below the nozzle, a lever having a forwardly directed arm the front end of which is formed as a second gripper jaw, and manually operated means connected with said gripper jaws, the machine being arranged to present a clear space below and back of the jaws within which to manipulate a last and shoe while an ankle strap of the shoe is held by the jaws for stretching or positioning the strap and effecting pressure against the nozzle to cause a tack to be driven for fastening the strap.

5. A shoe stretching and tacking machine having, in combination, a tacker, a lever pivoted below the tacker and back of it and having a forwardly directed arm the end of which is formed as a gripper jaw, a second lever having a forwardly directed arm the front end of which is formed as a second gripper jaw, the levers being arranged to permit the shoe with a last in it to be manipulated to stretch the shoe upper, and manually operated means for operating the levers to grip the work and for subsequently effecting pressure against the tacker to cause the tacker to fasten the work.

6. A machine of the class described, having, in combination, a tacking mechanism comprising a column, a forwardly projecting head on the column, and a tacker'nozzle on the forward portion of the head; a bracket projecting forwardly from the column, and a gripper on the bracket having jaws extending forwardly under the tacker nozzle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MATTHIAS BROOK.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR L. RUSSELL,

FREDERICK L. EDMANDS.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five ccntl each, by addressing the comminioner of latex, Washington, D. 0." 

